Young Love
by sydiy5bea
Summary: Uncharted 4 spoilers! Elena suspects her daughter is hiding something.
1. Chapter 1

I try to move a strand of my hair off of my face without using my soapy hands. Washing the dishes with the window open is nice for the fresh air, but it's a pain to deal with my hair.

"Mom? Dad?" Cassie calls from the foyer.

"It's just me, sweetheart," I yell back. "Your dad's out. Are you going for your run?"

"Yeah, I'll see you in a few."

The front door opens then slams shut behind her. Once I finish with the dishes, I sigh and rinse my hands off. Cassie's been running a lot this summer, which is strange because I explicitly remember her telling she hated running when she asked to quit the track team. Nate and I weren't going to stop her when she started going on weekly runs. It's healthy. But it started being a little concerning when the weekly runs turned into biweekly then _daily_ runs.

My train of thought is interrupted by the sound of car doors slamming outside. I quickly fix my hair as I pass the mirror in the bathroom and straighten the throw pillows on the couch. Happy voices greet my ears as the back door opens. "Hey, darling!" Sully calls.

"The party just arrived," Sam adds as I re-enter the kitchen.

"Uh-huh," I roll my eyes and make my way over to hug my in-laws. "Nate bringing in the bags?"

"Yeah, he's being a good host," Sam says.

"Sorry the house is mess. I've been trying to clean, but between all the paperwork for Iran and coordinating with the film crew-"

"Elena, it's fine," Sully says, laying a hand on my shoulder. "Have a seat. We're here to celebrate the birth of our nation. Put your feet up for the weekend."

"Yeah..."

I take the seat at the dining table next to Sully as Sam pokes his head into the living room. "So, where's my favorite niece?" Sam asks.

"On her run," I say.

"Her run? I didn't know she liked to run." He sits at the table across from me.

"Me neither," I shrug.

Nate pushes open the door using his elbows since his hands are occupied. "Thanks for the help, guys," he grunts, clearly struggling under the weight of their luggage.

"Hey, you're the younger brother," Sam says. "You're supposed to carry my bags."

Nate mimics him using a very childish voice, making Sam get up to help him. They bicker all the way up the stairs and presumably continue when they're out of audio range. Sully and I just look at each other with tired eyes. "And I'm thought one Drake was hard enough," I laugh.

"Yeah. I'm glad you came along. They were almost too much to handle thirty something years ago.I don't know how I'd manage it now."

"Eh, you'd figure something out."

He waves me off, then changes the subject. "So, what's with Cassie and her new hobby?"

"The running? I have no clue. All of a sudden she wants to run everyday for about an hour. An hour! That's a long run, right?"

"Right."

"There's no way she's just running for an entire hour. She takes after her dad in the sense that she needs to be constantly doing something."

"So... she's got a secret, huh?"

"That's what I'm thinking."

"Do you think it's a boy or a long lost city of gold?"

"Ha, I'm thinking neither."

"So what _do_ you think?"

"I don't know, but I know it's neither. Why would she keep a boy secret?"

"Oh, come on," Sully chuckles. "Don't you remember your first fling?"

"Well yeah, but I didn't keep mine a secret. I told my parents."

"Did you tell them at the beginning of your relationship or a month in?"

I purse my lips and begrudgingly answer, "About a month in."

"See? We all did it."

"Did what?" Nate asks, making his way downstairs. He's followed closely by his brother.

"Hid our first girlfriend from our parents," Sully says, giving the boys hard looks.

"So? It all worked out in the end," Sam shrugs. "Nobody got hurt."

"Nobody got hurt?" Nate asks incredulously, both taking a seat at the table. "You seem to be forgotting about half of the story."

"Oh, I've gotta hear this," I chuckle.

"Nah, you don't want to hear that." His protests fall on closed ears, however. We all clamor to hear his experiences with young love, and he quickly gives in. "Fine, I'll tell you. But I don't want to hear anyone making fun of me, alright? I was only 14..."


	2. Chapter 2

I stand outside the shop underneath the short awning, shivering due to my drenched state. The wind cuts through my thin clothing. The orphanage doesn't really provide us with the best clothes, but we turn up our non-existent collars and stick it out. I press my face against the glass to look inside. It's an empty ice cream shop. I guess no one wants ice cream on such a rainy day.

I sigh, leaving behind a foggy window. The only ice cream I've ever had is the kind Mom would buy us on hot days. Those days weren't many, however. She was rarely out of bed near the end of her life. The nuns give us ice cream on our birthdays, but I always give mine to Nathan-

* * *

"Okay, I really don't need the guilt trip, Sam," Nate sighs.

"I'm not guilt tripping you," Sam argues.

"Just get on with the story," I say, already invested in his tale. "But could you possibly not make it so depressing?"

"Yeah, yeah, as I was saying..."

* * *

I stand glumly in the window of the ice cream shop, that may as well be a different country for how foreign it looks. A knock at the window startles me out of my stupor. I wipe away the fog obscuring my vision to find the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Her dark brows are drawn in concern. I almost miss her waving me in because I'm so engrossed in the color of her eyes. They seem to shift between blue and green on a whim.

She lets me into the shop, and asks, "Are you alright?"

Her breath smells like mint, and her petite hands are warming. "Fine, thanks to you," I answer.

"You just looked so miserable out there. Can I get you a towel or some coffee?"

He voice sounds like that of an angel. "No thanks. I was just waiting out the rain, then I was going to head back home."

"How far is home?"

"About a ten minute walk."

"That's so far!"

"Not for me. I don't have anyone to drive me anywhere."

"Do your parents work during the day?"

"Eh... something like that."

Because God hates me, we both squint due to the reappearance of the sun. "Well, what do you know," she laughs, sounding like the birds that sing their joy at dusk. "I would give you some ice cream, but I'm sure you're cold. Rain check?"

"Heh, yeah. A literal rain check."

I take twenty minutes to walk the ten minute walk to the orphanage. I'm still in a trance at dinner and even late into the night. The next day, I walk back to the ice cream shop. It'll probably make me look desperate, but I can't wait any longer. It's a nice day, so there's a long line. I wait in her line, hoping she'll recognize me.

When I finally get to the front of the line, she gives me a huge smile and leans over the counter to talk to me. "Hey, you're back!"

She still smells like mint. "Well, it's a nice day, and you promised me ice cream."

"That I did. What'll it be?"

"Um..." How could I tell her I don't have a favorite flavor? "Well, what would you recommend?"

"My favorite is the mint. I have it so much, I'm sure my teeth have been stained green."

* * *

"Okay, we don't need a play by play," Sully says. "Get to the good part already."

"I was trying to set the mood. Your stories always seem to go for eternity."

"Yeah, but mine are interesting."

"Okay, so at this point, I was basically obsessed," Sam continues. "She was all I could think about for weeks. And because I was 14 years old, the next order of business was to impress her enough so she'd go on a date with me..."

* * *

Nathan sits next to me in mass, being a good kid and praying like he should. My gaze shifts from his shaggy head of hair to Sister Ally leading everyone in prayer. My magpie tendencies make her gold bracelet stand out under her long robes. It's perfect for her. Her. The girl. I can't believe I still don't know her name. The plan falls together quickly in my mind. I'll give her the bracelet and ask for her name when I ask her out.

Now I just need to figure out how to get the bracelet.

Later that night, I sneak out of my dorm. The Sisters' wing is far from my own, but I make it there in no time due to my extensive knowledge of the short cuts of the rather large Boy's Home. It takes me a few tries, but I finally successfully pick the lock of the Sister's bathroom on the end of the hallway. This bathroom is reserved for only the highest nuns, so their jewelry and expensive church stuff isn't locked away. They trust each other and the lock on the door to keep their things safe.

Sister Ally's bracelet is laying on the highest shelf along the far wall. I have to climb to get that high. Unfortunately, the shelves weren't built to hold the weight of a 14 year old boy. On my way down, the shelf under my right foot collapses. I freeze and wait for someone to burst in and chew me out, but nothing happens. Apparently nobody heard, so I take off with the bracelet securely held in my fist.

I sleep well, thinking about how happy the girl's going to be. I plan to take off as soon as possible tomorrow morning so I don't miss her shift.

I shovel breakfast into my mouth as fast as possible the next morning so I can get going. "Sam, slow down," Nathan says, sitting next to me. "You're going to choke on your food."

I shake my head. "I've got places to be, little brother."

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere really."

"You must be going somewhere. You wouldn't be eating so fast otherwise."

I sigh and wipe my mouth with my napkin. "Okay, I'll tell you, but you've got to promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise."

"Good." I lean in close and whisper. "I'm going to see a girl."

"A girl?" he whispers back excitedly. "Like, on a date?"

"Yeah, on a date."

"Wow, you're so awesome, Sam! I wish I was as cool as you."

* * *

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I did not say that!" Nate protests.

"How would you remember? You were 9," Sam says.

"I don't remember the exact words, but I'm sure that wasn't it."

"Yeah, yeah, moving on..."

* * *

"Where are you guys going?" Nathan asks.

"The ice cream shop."

"That sounds like fun! Can you bring me some back?"

"Well, I don't-"

Our conversation is cut short by Sister Ally calling for everyone's attention. Once everyone quiets down, she speaks. "Someone broke into one of the Sister's bathroom last night. The thief stole a gold bracelet, breaking a shelf in the process. No one leaves this hall until we find the culprit."

Murmurs spread across the tables. Nathan shakes his head. "God, that's annoying. I hope he confesses soon. I don't want to be stuck in here for long."

"Well, um, you're sitting next to him," I say quietly.

"What?!" he whisper yells.

"Shhhhh! I can't confess. I'm going on my date, remember?"

"Oh, shit."

"Language," I scold like Mom always did.

"Sorry. Oh, crap."

"Better."

"What are you gonna do?"

"It's not what I'm gonna do. It's what you're gonna do."

"What am I gonna do?" he asks, sounding worried.

"You're gonna say that you were the one that did it."

"You want me to lie? You know I'm a terrible liar."

"Please Nathan? I think I'm in love with this girl. I really need your help."

"Of course I'll help. That's what little brothers are for."

* * *

"Oh, come on! I put up more of a fight than that," Nate says, crossing his arms. "You are the worst story teller."

"Yeah right," Sam scoffs. "You're just butt hurt that I got a girl at a younger age than he did."

"No, I'm butt hurt because you made me take the blame for stealing the bracelet."

"It sounds like he didn't make you do anything," Sully chuckles.

"Well..." We all stifle our giggles as he struggles to come up with a comeback. "Well, I was 9! I really thought my brother was in love, and I didn't want to be the asshole who ruined it for him."

"Oh please," Sam says. "You're making a big deal out of nothing. Like I said before, no one got hurt."

Nate clenches his jaws, and that hard look enters his eyes. "Uh-oh," I whisper, giving Sully a knowing look. He just shrugs and holds his hands up.

"No one got _hurt_?" Nate asks, glaring at his brother. "I beg to differ. First of all, after 'confessing' in front of everyone, I had to come up with a bullshit reason why I didn't have the bracelet any more."

"That's not that bad-" Sam tries to say, but Nate keeps going.

"And then came my punishment. Since the nuns thought I was the one to break into the bathroom, they decided to tie that into the punishment. I had to scrub every toilet in the orphanage. Every toilet! And that wasn't even the worst part. I had to use a toothbrush. And not just any toothbrush, oh no. I had to use _my_ toothbrush. I couldn't brush my teeth for months."

"More like _a_ month," Sam inputs. "They replaced your toothbrush within the month."

"I still blame this cavity on you," he grumbles, gesturing to his jaw. "My sterling dental record is tarnished because of the mint ice cream girl."

I pat Nate's arm to show him my support, then ask his brother, "Did mint ice cream girl ever actually go out with you?"

"Well, um... no," he answers rather glumly.

"At least I had nagging material after that," Nate sniffs. "He put me through all that, it was the least he could do."

"You've had more than a few bad experiences with love, too," Sully speaks up, wearing a very mischievous grin. "Need I remind you of the Rio incident?"

Nate stiffens and shoots Sully a look. "You don't need to remind _anyone_ of the Rio incident."

"Mm, I don't know," I say, poking his arm. "That sounds embarrassing. I'd like to hear it."

"No, we're not doing this!" he groans. "Why'd you bring it up, Sully?"

"If you're not going to tell it, I will," Sully warns.

"Fine, I'll do it. At least this way I can try to make it less embarrassing for me."

"Oh, this is gonna be good," Sam snickers.

"As you've probably guessed, Sully and I were on a job in Rio..."


	3. Chapter 3

I roll my eyes as Sully talks with yet another busty local. Why he drags me out to these meet ups, I have no idea. It's always the same. We arrive at the meeting place twenty minutes before the agreed time, talk to the client for another twenty minutes, then find the closest watering hole to "unwind". Sully's idea of unwinding is always getting a drink and talking up the female patrons, single or not. Generally, I just take my meal and sit in the corner and watch Sully in amusement.

But this time, I'm just annoyed. The job he brought us here to complete was a bust, so now Sully's scrambling to find work. We talked to another potential client today, but the work was a little too shady. Breaking into the most heavily guarded mansions in Brazil is a little out of our league. Sully promised he'd have us a job by tomorrow. Likely story... From the way he's drinking tonight, he'll be lucky to even get out of bed by noon.

I sigh again and swirl my soda in its glass. "You look lonely," says a voice to my right.

I turn and look over my shoulder. A beautiful girl stands there, gazing at me rather seductively. "Uh..." I say stupidly. I want to say something, _anything_ , but my mind has been wiped clean by her beauty. I mean... _wow_.

"Is that a yes?" she asks, an amused smile crawling onto her face.

"Uh... uh-huh," I finally get out.

"Well, can I sit here?" She gestures to the table I'm occupying. I give a slight nod, and she takes the seat next to me. "Ugh, it's humid in here. How can you stand sitting here for so long?"

"I... I'm waiting for a friend..."

"Oh, a female friend?"

"No!" I exclaim suddenly. The girl jumps slightly, and I wince internally. "I, uh... I didn't mean to, uh, scare you. I just wanted you to know that I'm single."

She giggles as my face burns. "Your face is so red." She leans forward and props her head up on her hand. "You're cute."

If she thought I was cute before, she must think I'm goddamn irresistible after calling me cute. I feel like all the blood in my body is rushing to my face. The dizziness assures me that there's none left in my brain.

* * *

"Where else did the blood rush to?" Sam asks smugly.

"Nowhere," Nate grinds out, face flushing much like in his story.

"Nowhere _yet_ ," Sully adds, smirking at the kid's chagrined expression.

"Sully, don't spoil it!" he says. "As I was saying, the girl asked me out to lunch the next day-"

"What is it with you Drakes and not getting the girl's name?" I wonder aloud.

" _Anyways_ ," Nate says, "the next morning, Sully had a massive hangover, as expected. I had told him the night before I was going out with a girl, but I left him a note just in case..."

* * *

"So you're obviously not from around here," the girl says, placing another chip in her mouth. "Where are you from?"

"Um, originally or where I'm staying now?" I'm still incredibly nervous around her.

"Both," she smiles. She reaches across the table to put her hand over my hand. "I want to know everything."

"Um..."

She flirts the entire time. I find myself rather sweaty by the time the check comes. Her incredibly flattering dress isn't helping. "So..." she says, leaning in. By this point our noses are almost touching. "What do you want to do now?"

"Uh, I... don't care. Whatever you want to do."

"Well, I've got an idea." She closes her eyes and tilts her head.

I jerk away and hurriedly suggest, "MyfriendhasaplaneIcanflyyouifyouwant."

It seems like I sufficiently distracted her from her intended kiss. "You can fly a plane?"

"Y-Yes."

"Wow, is there anything you can't do?"

"Uh, th-there's lots of things I can't do."

"I don't believe you."

She leans in, but I once again pull away. "The-the plane's this way."

* * *

"What kind of guy doesn't kiss the girl after a date?" Sam asks. "That's just rude."

"Shut up," Nate grumbles.

"It's because at this point, he had never-" Sully starts but is quickly interrupted.

"Sully, I'm warning you. You forced me to tell the story, so let me tell the story."

* * *

"Wow, a sea plane?" she asks, rising up on her toes in excitement. "It's so romantic."

"Uh, yeah, but it's my friend's plane, so please be careful."

"Okay," she giggles.

We board the plane without much trouble. I take the pilot's chair, and she occupies my usual chair. "So, where are we going, captain?"

"Uh, where ever you want to go."

"Well, how about we get up in the air and figure it out up there."

Soon enough, we're circling the vast urban sprawl of Rio. Sully's taken me flying a couple of times, so I get us into the air without much difficulty. "Wow, isn't it beautiful?" she sighs. "I bet you see stuff like this all the time."

"Uh, yeah. All the time."

"I think that's really cool."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, really." She reaches over to my seat and runs a hand down my arm. "You're so cute when you blush."

She leans in, and I pull away once again. "Why won't you kiss me?" she huffs.

"Because... I..." I mumble something inaudible.

"What?"

"I... I've never..."

"You've never kissed a girl before?" She giggles and rubs my arm again. "Aw, don't worry about that, sweetie. I'll teach you."

She then proceeds to climb over the center console to reach me. My eyes widen, then push her back. "Wh-What are you doing?" I stutter.

"Teaching you," she says in a sultry voice. "I'm assuming if you've never kissed someone, you've also never 'done it' before."

She then reaches over and...

And...

Uh...

* * *

"Uh..." Nate says, trying to find the right words.

"Come on, you can tell us," I say. "We're all family here. We won't judge."

"Speak for yourself, sister," Sam laughs. "So what'd she do? Give you a peck on the cheek?"

"Uh, sorta." He swallows and drops his head in his hands. "She... unzipped my... and then she... and then I... we... made a mess and..."

Poor Nate turns a deep shade of red (probably the same shade he was during the end of his story) as the three of us laugh at his expense.

When we get our breath back, Sully adds, "He wasn't kidding about the mess. Nate didn't tell me what he did that day until we boarded the plane to leave a few days later. I was goddamn furious. I made him clean the plane every week for a year after that."

"Oh, please," Nate shoots back. "It's not like you've never had an embarrassing experience with a woman."

"Yeah, it's your turn, Victor," Sam says, still wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. "I'm sure you've gotten a blow job while piloting a plane, too."

"Well, actually no," Sully says. "But I've got something that'll one up you both."

"Enlighten us," I whisper, leaning in excitedly. This story time just keeps getting better and better.

"Okay, so I was about fifteen or sixteen years old. I snuck out of the house like I did every Friday night..."


End file.
